Embers of a cold Heart
“Dust, debris and refuse” Venk thought to himself as he paced forward, “Oh look more dust, more debris and more useless refuse” he rolled his eyes at the sights around him as he tried to drown out the constant droning coming from behind him. Four hours on non-stop babbling from the lab coat was starting to fray at the edges of his sanity if he had to put up with one more lecture on the past ’glories’ of the previous generations of the company. Looking over his shoulder he could see the rest of the security detail were in a similar state of mind judging by their faces and favourite ticks, Ves playing with the hilt of her knife, Sig rolling a cigarette back and forth in his mouth and Ol’John rolling his shoulders, the only one that seemed to be in anyway enjoying the lab coats ramblings was the details resident cyber tech analyst but even she was starting to wear the same glazed over look in her eyes. “How much further are we supposed to be going before we reach this server point doc?” Venk called over to the lab coat who looked around abruptly as if only just being reminded that the security detail were humans and not robots, “according to my records on the exact location we are in the general vicinity of the position to with an acceptable margin of error, as to the physical distance we are looking for the remains of a civil control station centre which is listed as the primary control core location for the old network in this area..” the lab coat carried on babbling before Ves finally snapped leaving Venk to cover a satisfied smirk at the lab coats sudden misstep “Metres lab coat, fecking metres” Ves snarled as she pushed past him with a glare “that building over there” the lab coat flapped a hand at a half collapsed building with an open court yard. Venk signalled Ves to head up and check it out with a hand motion, pretending not to hear the Lab coats mutterings about their supposed progenitors and suit inbreeding. These kind of details always sucked Venk flexed his knuckles slightly; attempting to control his temper at the lab coats jibes, reclamation division lab coats were snooty bastards to a one and being stuck with baby sitting the beggars didn’t help the fact that Venk would rather be back in the commercia district carrying out a security patrol there, than accompanying this particular lab coat by the name of one Doctor Heinrich Carslov. Carslov was an veritable genius when it come to restoring past technology and reverse engineering it for new purposes, that was widely known by most folks who heard the name, the only issue is with an intellect like that he has the habit of treating everyone he saw beneath him as peons and morons which in turn succeeded in pissing off a lot of people who had to deal with him for any amount of time, particularly those amongst the security department who had to handle his security details. Now being stuck out here on a recollection run with Carslov constantly going off about his work was Venks’ on personal version of torture, and when he got back to his departmental rec room he was going to kick the hell out of whoever thought it was funny to land him with this crap detail job. Coming to a halt he held up a hand for the rest of the detail to stop as Carslov looked on expectantly past the agitated security chief, unclipping his radio from his belt Venk called Ves in with two brief pulses on the radio before waiting a second and receiving a verbal ’All clear’ from the surly security operator. “Lets go” he waved the group on as they pushed up to the building in a loose group, Ves leaning against the door way into the building “Your gonna want to see this boss” she called over to Venk as Carslov made to push past him and head in side “What the..” he got out as a giant limb stuck out and grabbed him by the shoulder to hold him in place “Chief goes first, lab rat stays still” Ol’John grunted through his half ruined jaw. A giant of a man Ol’John was by the far the oldest of the group but could easily squash them all if pissed off, it made him an excellent deterrent If a department was being particularly bolshie and the board wanted them to be quietened as his physical size gave him a presence few could match. Venk grinned as Carlsov’s mask slipped showing the tiniest bit of fear towards the hulking security operator as Venk headed inside to where Ves was waiting for him by a collapsed wall “Why’d we get the crap detail then huh boss?” She looked at Venk as he passed her, falling into step with him with practiced ease “Somebodies idea of a joke I bet” Venk growled in annoyance “the punchline sucks if you ask me” Ves smirked darkly as the pair of them pushed further on into the building. The corridors were littered with centuries old dust and refuse, shadow marks ingrained into the decayed paint work and the ghost wisps of what had once been paper flitted around their feet in piles before disintegrating at the merest touch by their boots, leaving a trail of foot prints in the debris of the past that littered the place. Crossing through empty rooms they passed smashed electronics and half built computer terminals with their screens still flickering at the intermittent charges of electricity still in the ancient power grid, the further in they ventured the more Venk noticed through that some of the damage was newer that most, weapon impacts and the old shadows of where people had fallen in fights across the decades through the building clearly visible amongst the detritus. “What was it you wanted to show me then Ves?” Venk questioned his partner as she stopped at a door half hanging from its hinges “This” she said opening the door way to a small internal court yard. Lying across the ruins of what had once been a recreational area were ancient bodies clad in what was obviously company equipment and gear, now wrapping skeletons laying where they had fallen in battle with someone. Stepping over them as to not disturb the remains Venk knelt down to the nearest one and picked the skull up, looking at the serrated entry and exit wound in the head and comparing it to the rest, before turning the Ves “We are leaving now” he ordered, leaving the fallen bodies where they lay in the pattern they had been placed, a laughing skull mounted to a blade... Military Campaign Progress The echoes of part achievements is a defining moment in the histories and annuals of many of histories greatest civilisations, where the conquests, feats and legends of those that once stood before gift a new found determination and drive to rebuild all that has been lost when a civilisation ahs fallen from its highest peak, birthing a new golden age or driving some to fall further still in the process of emulating the past. Many people have stood upon the shoulders of giants and dreamt of how much higher they could climb if they but knew the roots of those very giants, revitalising a dying people to become some new in the image of something far far older and so recreating the cycle a new for the next people to come, be they their descendants or those that would look to the past for inspiration of where the future could take them if they but had the will to seize what they needed to make it so. When all this is wrapped into the very DNA of the children walking the ancient grounds of the partners and dreaming of all that once was this drive can warp and twist into many different paths chosen by many different people, and so create the origin points for a family of cultures that all point to one central birth place of their people, and in this each in turn can strive to reclaim their progenitors greatest before rising in a storm of blood, founding a renaissance or dissipating into the myths of history as a cautionary tale to be observed by those that come next. For the company this is their tale and for every new generation that passes this tale becomes a part of them that drives their very motives, to reclaim the golden age when they guided the future of mankind on this world through their powers and influence like the ancient Byzantines looking to the ruins in the west and hoping to see a new Rome rising from the ashes. As is common for the reclamators upon the occupation of old lands the army sets about double checking over its equipment and assignments before searching the territory proper for any signs of anything missed during the original occupation and compound establishment. To aid in this the now steady flow of reclamation division personnel allows for more and more of the army to return to their main assignments as the force is marshalled once more and their camps broken down ready for moving onwards to their next objective as decreed by the board and Managing director of the force. This takes roughly a week to break everything down and see if stored properly with the reserve stockpiles placed should they be required upon the army reaching its next major point before the army can move out. When it does it follows the main roads leading through the territory northwards towards the old tunnels discovered previously during the original scout missions into the territory. One major thing is noticeable however as the army moves on, several departments watching the last of reserve piles being assembled take note that the spaces put aside for food delivery's have still not been filled by the time the last departmental group leaves the compound. Some wonder if something has happened to the supply groups from the provisional department, whilst others still brush it aside as the delivery schedules simply being a day or two behind and pay it no heed whilst privately wondering what could have happened. The following couple of weeks pass in a flurry of progress as the tunnels give way to old open road ways and long abandoned vehicles littering once busy auto ways, long bedded transport trucks sitting silent, the hulls rusted out by time as the army passes by. A few scavenging crews are allowed a chance to look them over where their cargo had still remained sealed, not turning up much beyond a few ancient deliveries of mattresses or boxes of assorted junk, still it is collected and sent back to the compound and then onto the commercia where the higher ups would bid on lots like this. The end of the third week out brings them close to the outer limits of a new territory, according to old road signs and maps the northern most along this path route, the imposing walls of the outer colonial shell arching up in the distance to spread over them all. The prospect of having reached the northern limits sends a wave of potential through the lab coats of the reclamators as they discuss and debate the nights away about what they may find if they could but access any sealed hangers along the walls limits. These hopes are dashed however as at the first chance to slip down to an entry point they find the doors sealed shut, military grade codes locking them out from tampering by anyone but the highest military authority. The dawn of the second month a week later passes with relative silence as the army marches onwards and inwards, spreading out to ascertain the nature of the territory they find themselves in. Initial reports indicate it is three times the size of the last encountered with a heavy industrial presence through out the zone, scout groups send forward from the security department confirm the rumours about this being the further territory northwards as the only routes open to them now lye to the west and the east respectively. The army spends its first few days in the territory camped in the shadow of a cluster of industrial silos, like a forest of ancient metal tree trunks, as the departmental managers meet with the director to decide the best course of action. The meetings are short and too the point as the managers emerge from the directors office tent with their policies and directives, the army is to fan out and begin to catalogue the territory proper but to remain cautious of the situation. Some of the managers raise an eyebrow to the caution but the reason soon enough becomes apparent by the end of the second week comes around as the reclamators various personnel head to the catering tents to collect their morning grub. Instead of the usual full meals each individual finds themselves handed a bowl of thin like soup and a small chunk of brown bread before being told to move along. An argument kicks off when some junior managers find themselves treated to them same rations and three finds themselves being arrested by the security department and brought before the director for assessment before the real reason comes out to the army as a whole. The food stores for the army are simply no more, the battles within the Agricultural dome had resulted in the company departmental group being unable to ascertain control of a node due to several factors and as such food had not been coming in for some time, what food there was was being directed to the spire and the commercia to stave off the general departments starving to death meaning the army would have to fend for itself for the time being. This news is met with grim faces amongst the reclamators forces, there was only one outcome to no food for the army and that was simple, they were going to starve. As the final week passed and the eclipse of the revelation from the second month passed into the beginning of the third it became clear that the reclamators as a force knew their predicament. The first knock on effects would be felt in the coming days as the army attempted to carry on with its assignments, scout units being slowly wilted away by hunger until the first fatalities began to emerge in the middle of the second week of the third month. This would hamper the forces objectives significantly as more and more of its personnel began to fall by the way side for simple lack of food and the losses began to slowly climb with each passing day from amongst the various departments. One silver lining amongst this though was found in the reports coming back from the scouts themselves that were still able to operate in the current conditions, having properly scouted round the sides of the territory they had located what they believed to be the old control centre for the industrial plants in the zone. According to what information they had managed to pull from a few still functioning systems the territory had originally been a major processing centre for off world equipment, unground silos sorting the incoming and outgoing finished products whilst the above silos and warehouses stored up an surplus production for additional manufacturing needs down the line or for selling off world when it was required. The final weeks of the third month would pass by in almost silence for the reclamators after the discoveries wrought in the light of the previous days and months, the army itself would constrict and wrap itself together to tightly nurse what food resources were still available and from what could be found amongst the industrial ruins around them. When possible joint parties would be sent out in to the ruins to carry out crucial tasks but otherwise all non necessary actions would be restrict to the new compound set up by the army around the old central control station for the zone. Priority for food would be given to the main combat forces though even they would find it severely thin compared to what had been before as they manned their check points and posts through the long days and nights in this new zone, a few perhaps in poor jest take to calling it the ‘empty promise’ as the memory of the jubilant expectations weeks before had turned quite literally to ash in their mouths. One peculiar thing of note almost passes by unnoticed during the last week of the third month however as a guard post calls in a small glinting light in the distance, reminiscent of a scanner light or marksmen scope. A team is dispatched to investigate but when they arrive the location is silent as if nothing had ever been there… Summary: The Reclamators have secured a further territory to the north for the company, a primus grade Industrial zone housing multiple old silos and storage warehouses still filled with pallets of old surplus and manufactured equipment waiting to be assembled, all located along the northern most border of the colonial ruins however this has come at a cost, 150 members of the reclamators have passed due to starvation as the armies food supply has run out due to no new source being controlled by the company at this time. This rate of loss will continue as long as no new source of food is found for the army and company. Ghosts of the past Despite the ongoing successes within the wider ruins of the former colony in terms of reclamation efforts of lost territory the company finds itself at the highest levels facing a dilemma, the pace of expansion can no longer be maintained without a secure source of food. The effects of this are already being felt as the board institutes a series of policies and directives rationing available food supplies for the main populace and prioritising crucial work with a structured assessment to determine who should receive what on a daily basis for the work they and their department carry out for the company as a whole. Alongside this the normal brooding but silent security department voices itself for the first time in many years at discoveries made that to anyone else within the company would skip over as nothing, but to the security department is indicative of a pattern not seen in a long time but still carrying a silent threat. Well within their jurisdiction the chief of security calls a board meeting to discuss the matter behind closed doors but lets just enough slip down the hierarchy to those below to get those with a pension for history to stand on their toes just a little bit. What exactly is discussed stays within the realm of the board but whispered words of dead bodies arranged in certain patterns and weapon marks with serrated edges pricks the ears of those it falls too bringing up old memories of spectre like figures slaughtering their way through company facilities, killing indiscriminately before leaving in a blaze of engulfing flames, a laughing skull mocking them to face them in an open war. The merest hint of these shadowy individuals catches at the strings of fear and anger amongst the company and particularly those of the security departments whose predecessors learnt well enough what happens to those that face those bloody mad men. The potential for them to have been active during the fall stings enough for the board to agree to dispatch an assessor to the agri dome to advise the company personnel there as they implement a search. Summary: 1) With no control node providing a source of food the reclamators force will suffer from starvation attrition, the company directs those in the field from amongst their number to take what means they deem necessary to rectify this situation with immediate effect. 2) Old battle sights previously undiscovered have been found alongside strange goings on around the edge of company territories, the head of Security alongside his colleagues on the board of directors have dispatched an Assessor to the Agri-dome to talk with those company personnel present to be made aware of the situation. This individual should be arriving during the course of Saturday Back to Downtimes